Ovechkin, Caps win first title

LAS VEGAS — After 43 seasons, the Washington Capitals are finally sitting on top of hockey.

Lars Eller scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:37 to play, and the Capitals raised the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history after a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 on Thursday night.

Captain Alex Ovechkin capped his playoff MVP campaign with a power-play goal, and Devante Smith-Pelly tied it with a full-stretch goal midway through the final period of the Capitals’ fourth consecutive victory over the Golden Knights, whose incredible expansion season finally ended in the desert.

So did the Capitals’ agonizing wait for their first championship since the franchise’s debut in 1974. After so many years of crushing disappointment for a team with a lengthy history of postseason failure, these Capitals confidently won their fourth consecutive closeout game with a tenacious third-period comeback. Ovechkin and his teammates are Washington’s first championship team in a major pro sport since it won the Super Bowl in 1992.

“We did it,” said Ovechkin, whose 15 playoff goals set a franchise record. “That’s all that matters. Look at the smiles on my teammates. This is something you’ll never forget. This moment, I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable.”

After Ovechkin accepted the Conn Smythe Trophy, he received the Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. Ovechkin shouted “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” through his gaptoothed grin before skating away and hoisting the prize over his head for a victory lap in front of thousands of red-clad fans.

When Ovi got the Cup back, he handed it to Ted Leonsis, the Caps’ owner since 1999.

“I’m so happy for the group that has gone through the misery,” said Washington coach Barry Trotz, a first-time champ in his 19th season behind an NHL bench.

After Vegas won the Final opener, the Capitals capped their four-game surge by rallying from a third-period deficit in this cathartic Game 5, banishing any memory of playoff failure with clutch goals and rugged play across their lineup.

Braden Holtby made 28 saves in Game 5, outplaying threetime Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury in the other net one final time.

The Caps couldn’t win a Cup without a little late weirdness, however: The game clock stopped working on the T-Mobile